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District 300 to discuss architectural contract for new elementary school

Algonquin-based Community Unit District 300's board will discuss a contract to build a new $26 million elementary school in Hampshire at its next meeting.

According to documents attached to the meeting's agenda, the goal is for the school to open in August 2022. According to a tentative timeline, construction would take place from March 2021 to June 2022.

The contract would be with Dewberry Architects Inc. in Elmhurst.

In a letter to District 300's Chief Operating Officer Susan Harkin, Brian Kerner, a senior associate at Dewberry Architects Inc., said Gilberts Elementary School will be used as a prototype. Gilberts Elementary School was designed in 2007.

Because the programming and schematic design phase of the project will be limited to a review of the Gilberts plans, there will be a fee reduction, Kerner wrote in the letter.

Lesser fee reductions are included for the project's planning phase, Kerner wrote. This is because the planning phase will include soil borings, surveys, site planning, meetings with local government agencies and meetings with the utility companies that will be "unique and require full services."

Although the building is a prototype, the site adaptation will be unique and require full civil engineering services, Kerner wrote, so there will also be lesser fee reductions for those as well, among other services.

As part of the schematic design phase for the new elementary school, Dewberry's services will include: finalizing the overall project schedule; contacting the village of Hampshire about the permit process; revising the building plan with storm shelter and other further revisions; and doing a general outline of mechanical, electrical, fire protection and plumbing systems.

District 300 is ranked as the sixth-largest school district in Illinois based on student enrollment. In 2019, its enrollment was 21,143, according to the Illinois State Report Card. It had 20,985 students in 2018.

Currently, the district has two elementary schools in Hampshire: Hampshire Elementary School on 321 Terwilliger Ave., and Wright Elementary, on 1500 Ketchum Road.

The District 300 board's workshop meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

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